Are these people serious? "mileage runs"

krackman · Jun 19, 2003

www.flyertalk.com/milesfr_bc.shtml

While trying to find an airline that goes to Panama non stop from New York I came across this flyertalk website. When I clicked on the forums I found a very active forum of people talking about frequent flyer miles. When I clicked on the forum called "mileage run" I just lost it... How can people be doing this? They fly around the world just to get airline mileage. These people don't even stay in hotels or anything they just go from plane to plane and sleep/squat in airports all over the world.

This is not just one or two nuts this is thousands of people that do this. I was reading some of these threads and people were getting pissed because THEY COULDN'T FIND ENOUGH STOPOVERS this one guy is flying from San Fran-Lax-Las-Phn-Dal-Las-Lax-San Fran all in 32 hours but he will be getting 37000 miles because American has a special going if you fly before August 1st you get a 30k bonus if you travel to so many cities on American. This is not the worst some people go to Europe and back just for the ride. One guy was going to the Philippines just for the miles NEVER LEAVING THE PLANE.

I(like many people) look for planes that do not stop I just want to get to where I am going and dread the idea of even being cramped up in a plane for hours. Maybe I am wrong and just don't understand the full deal. Maybe they are just like people in casino areas that go on coupon runs or just like sports betters who go after bonuses with such a vengeance.

-Slim- · Jun 19, 2003

krack, hopefully some of the sicker puppies here will have a new addiction to tend to....

next thing we know, jj will be saying hi to all of us from a hotel in southeastern Indonesia....

Halifax · Jun 19, 2003

Flyertalk ... isn't that Journeyman's website ??

WalkofLife · Jun 19, 2003

Krack:

You are sure to find bonus abusers in all types of industry. What I just read makes me think how narrow-minded some people are. Just like those who seek money for money, without realizing cash is merely a tool.

What's really funny, is that some fo those guys might stumble with the Rx by accident, and when here read a thread by OLDFRIEND and BEANBRAIN. I bet they will be wondering what kind of losers we all are in here...

Halifax:

LMFAO!!!

krackman · Jun 19, 2003

A friend of mine that is a pit manager in a casino just called me and I told him about this and he said..

"The whole world makes me sick"

"The same fleas in the casino standing around every day" "the same miserable people playing poker every day"

"My wife is one of them she cuts out coupons and tries to put expired ones in to save 25 cents" "but yet she goes and bets 50 bucks a hand on blackjack and blows $500 on the machines"

"What about this idiots that take the busses down from New York and North Jersy every day just for the bonuses" someone he knows used to do this back in the early nineties and make 30 bucks a day going back and forth 100 miles each way to Atlantic City twice a day (sometimes 3 times)

He is burnt out I guess but has some points.

Walk you are correct.

lucygoosy · Jun 19, 2003

There is a BIG difference between bonus abusers and people doing mileage runs: bonus abusers are people that businesses don't welcome whereas mileage runs is something that the airlines encourage.

I have a gold status with a major airline for years, to maintain such status I have to fly either 35000 miles or 60 flight segments within every calender year.My normal course of activities would yield about 33000 miles of traveling and 55 flight segments, and towards the end of every year, I'd be getting mails from this airline reminding me that I need to make a 'mileage run' to earn the status, this is a time when they promote some of their routes of offering double or triple status mileage.

What does a good status give you?
Usage of lounge facilities:free drinks and snacks while you wait;business centers,I use one of the computers at the Maple leaf lounge in Calgary to make a withdrawal from Acesgold before it went under;

priority check-ins:you get to check in first class, usually saves an average of 15 minutes plus at many airports you also go through security lines with"fast track by invitation"when the lines are long,this is a big one since911,it saves at least 30minutes;

priority baggage handling:your bags come out first,saves about 10 minutes;

priority boarding:no big deal,you just get to board with 1st class passengers;

priority waitlisting(standby);this is a real good one after 911.I had 3 flights cancelled since then. The one time they cancelled a flight from LAS to SFO when the plane was already on the runway, I was teh first out of over a hundred passengers to have offered altenatives;

There are other frills like the free upgrades or such but the above ones I find most useful, anyone who travels a lot will apprecite the convenience of the gold(or platinum)membership, The effort taken at the end of the year to make that extra trip or two is worth it for many people, and I am one of them.

I make mileage run just about every year and I am not a bonus abuser,the mileage runners are actually helping the airline industry.

You wouldn't call someone who try to save $$ booking 7 or 14 days in advance instead of paying full fare abusers, wouyld you?

cecil+ · Jun 19, 2003

Man, no wonder flights are so expensive!
What a bunch of nuts! I still have not figured out how you get frequent flyer miles, I have flown around the world...

Railbird · Jun 19, 2003

There are syndicates that will make 20-30 reservations on holidays and sunday evenings, hoping the airlines oversale, then they collect the bump vouchers for free roundtrips, this is a big buisness.

lucygoosy · Jun 19, 2003

Cecil, you obviously have not travelled enough to have those frequent flyer programs to do you any good.

THE SHRINK · Jun 19, 2003

I swear to god that I have over 600,000 frequent flyer miles saved up (courtesy of American Express, and my wife having a black belt in shopping!!)

BUT, EVERY DAMN TIME I try to use some of them, the dates are blacked out!!!!

THE SHRINK

Journeyman · Jun 19, 2003

Flyers, two words about flyers..THEY WORK!

Gart · Jun 19, 2003

I regularly read the Flyer Talk mileage run section. The best thing about it is you know very quickly about very cheap fares. Last week they had flights from NY, LA or SF to Singapore for $250 + tax. I couldn't take advantage of it but it would have been nice.

Hairybum · Jun 24, 2003

Krackman:

Inadvertvertently, you saved me about $500.00 on a plane ticket. Just wanted to say thanks for the road work. The money saved will be used in a very charitable capacity..../

THE SHRINK · Jun 25, 2003

Hairybum,

How did Krackman save you 500 buckaroonies?

MrKennedy · Jun 25, 2003

Halifax: LO-fu(king-L

Hairybum · Jun 25, 2003

Weel, first I joined the flyertalk community of posters, somewhat similar as to what you see here. Posted in the wrong folder right off the bat and they moved it lol. I than searched out the posters with the greatest number of posts(you know the vets are always the safest bet). Wasn't really sure how to approach them, I've only posted on gambler and chick websites. Totally different posting experience. I asked for links, and I get like 20 people bending over backwards for me. Messages flooding my email account I could hardly keep up, just like a late injury steamer. This led to that alot of surfing, and I found a ticket at expedia for about $1,200.00, and locally it would have cost me closer to 1,800.00. Sorry about the short novel, but it's one of those lifes' adventures that I'll remember for atleast another month....GL/

Mr.Smith · Jun 25, 2003

I read something there about a guy who flew to Switzerland for the miles. He ate lunch there and flew back. Its hard to believe.

They do that stuff to keep qualified for high end flier perks like clubs, easy check in easy upgrades etc.

cecil+ · Jun 25, 2003

Lucy, I guess you did not understand my post??

lakerfan · Jun 25, 2003

Thanks, I also have found some good travel information from the site.

winkyduck · Jun 25, 2003

shrink - you should consider selling those miles.

ok - technically you can't do that - but here is what you do.

in the sunday paper (usually) there are people with ads saying they will buy miles from people. they are middlemen for people who do last second travelling. those last second people would have to pay a fortune to fly - unless they call these middlemen.

the middlemen have people in their grasps who have a ton of miles in their accounts. they get these people to redeem their miles for a last-second ticket. the middlemen pay you a few hundred dollars and make a profit.

consider this, shrink!